Struggling to forget a crumbling marriage, forty-year-old Anna Lucia Lottol comes to Venice to visit an old friend—but instead of finding solace, she is dragged into the police station and accused of murdering a money-laundering count with whom she had a brief affair. A US Treasury officer with brains and athleticism, Anna fights to clear her name in a seductive city full of watery illusions. As she works to pry information from a cast of recalcitrant characters sometimes denying what she sees and hears, she succeeds in unleashing a powerful foe bent on destroying her. Will she save herself and vanquish her enemies, including her darkest fears?

A mysterious tapestry of murder, betrayal, and family, Venetian Blood is a story of one woman’s brave quest for the truth —before it’s too late.

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With lush language, Volker transports us to Venice, Italy, and the murder of Count Sergio Corrin. From the opening pages, we are swept up by language, intrigue, and a tantalizing mystery. Volker reaffirms the abiding adage: describe a world well enough and the reader is fully contained in it. Nina Schuyler, author of the award-winning book The Translator"

"With lush language, Volker transports us to Venice, Italy, and the murder of Count Sergio Corrin. From the opening pages, we are swept up by language, intrigue, and a tantalizing mystery. Volker reaffirms the abiding adage: describe a world well enough and the reader is fully contained in it." --Nina Schuyler, author of the award-winning book The Translator

"A riveting whodunit that makes full use of its dramatic setting." --Kirkus Reviews

"With lush language, Volker transports us to Venice, Italy, and the murder of Count Sergio Corrin. From the opening pages, we are swept up by language, intrigue, and a tantalizing mystery. Volker reaffirms the abiding adage: describe a world well enough and the reader is fully contained in it." --Nina Schuyler, author of the award-winning book The Translator

"In Volker's debut mystery, an American financial expert unravels a web of mystery, corruption, and danger hidden in one of the world's most beautiful cities. But as she gets closer to the truth, she repeatedly finds herself in mortal danger. The subtitle of Volker's novel signals the importance of the Venetian setting to her compelling, intricate narrative. Her lush descriptions evoke the city's glories...while skillfully building an ominous tone. A riveting whodunit that makes full use of its dramatic setting." --Kirkus Reviews

"With lush language, Volker transports us to Venice, Italy, and the murder of Count Sergio Corrin. From the opening pages, we are swept up by language, intrigue, and a tantalizing mystery. Volker reaffirms the abiding adage: describe a world well enough and the reader is fully contained in it." --Nina Schuyler, author of the award-winning book The Translator

"Volker's Venetian Blood weaves alluring language, seductive setting, the charm of shadowed history, and cunning intrigue into a (modern) historical mystery so tantalizing you will be swept away from word one. Anna Lucia Lottol, a financial investigator for the US Department of Treasury, falls under suspicion by Italian officials in the death of one Count Sergio Corrin whilst visiting that most beautiful of riparian cities, Venice. This story drew me in straightaway, and I was loathe to stop, to leave the wind--and water--swept lure of an ancient city with a modern puzzle. The language and phrasing are delicious, pure poetry. Highly recommended!" --Manhattan Book Review

"Venetian Blood was a beautifully, if not deliciously, described story. The author has a real talent for transporting the reader right into the heart of Venice and its mesmerizing canals, palazzos, and restaurants, exposing all our senses to a magical treat. In fact, the scenery often nearly jumps off the page... I thought the attention to detail throughout this book was superb. The story was also absorbing, and I felt drawn into Anna's life almost immediately. Overall, there were more than enough twists and turns to heighten the suspense and keep me turning pages. The ending was one I hadn't anticipated until I was near the end." --San Francisco Book Review

Product Description

Struggling to forget a crumbling marriage, forty-year-old Anna Lucia Lottol comes to Venice to visit an old friend—but instead of finding solace, she is dragged into the police station and accused of murdering a money-laundering count with whom she had a brief affair. A US Treasury officer with brains and athleticism, Anna fights to clear her name in a seductive city full of watery illusions. As she works to pry information from a cast of recalcitrant characters sometimes denying what she sees and hears, she succeeds in unleashing a powerful foe bent on destroying her. Will she save herself and vanquish her enemies, including her darkest fears?

A mysterious tapestry of murder, betrayal, and family, Venetian Blood is a story of one woman’s brave quest for the truth —before it’s too late.

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Stephanie

4.0 out of 5 starsVenetian Blood

17 December 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

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Anna decides to take a trip to Venice and visit her friend Margo in order to get her mind off of her impending divorce back in the states. Instead, Anna finds herself in a romantic entanglement with serious complications; furthermore, she is the prime suspect in a murder when the man she slept with is found murdered. Anna's job at the US Treasury is put in danger when she begins to look into the life of Count Sergio Corrin, Anna finds a sordid past entangled with many other Venetians who just may want to kill the man. While Anna desperately searches to uncover any information to clear her name, she reveals some other secrets of the closely-knit Venetian people. Meanwhile, the person who murdered Sergio is still on the loose and is attempting to throw Anna off the trail.

An exciting and suspenseful murder mystery set in the sensuous and mysterious island of Venice. Immediately, I was pulled in by the murder scene, a gruesome murder committed by someone who appears to be female. Then, I was connected to Anna's character. Anna is intelligent and resourceful but has been handed a difficult lot in life, her parents died when she was younger, she has had a miscarriage and her marriage has fallen apart. Venice was made into a sumptuous setting, I could easily image the aging but descendant buildings, the murky canals and small passageways. The suspense grew for me as Anna started digging up the past. Most interestingly, I began to question Anna's reliability as a narrator even as she began to uncover other's motives. Overall, a uniquely woven murder mystery with intricate twists and turns.

The title describes this story wonderfully. Venice is a unique and sensuous city, and the descriptions in these pages allow the streets and canals to come across so vividly, it's easy to picture the surroundings and breathe in the moist air.

Anna is trying to take a few days away from her life, especially from a nerve-wracking divorce. Instead of finding relaxation at her arrival in Venice, she's immediately picked up by the police on suspicions of murder. Although there's not enough evidence to hold her, the detective isn't giving up. Anna is left with no choice but to find the murderer on her own and clear her name, but the levels of intrigue prove more dangerous than she bargained for.

Fans of Venice and murder mysteries are sure to enjoy diving into these pages. The author does an amazing job of bringing the streets, buildings, character and atmosphere of Venice to life. Being in Venice a few times myself, I was surprised at how realistic and vivid the city is portrayed. It's a delight to visit these pages just for these descriptions.

As to the murder mystery, this is a tale with many layers and secrets. Anna has her own shadowed past, but it's nothing compared to those she meets in Venice. Each character is hiding something, and each story is intriguing. It makes it hard to put the book down. Although set in present day Venice, the mystery touches on Venice's past. This gives the tale a lovely richness and depth, but also makes it hard to guess who the real murderer might be. This is a slower paced read, which delves more into information and details than constant action. However, there are enough scenes to raise the tension, and the constant threat looming in the background keeps boredom away. It's a mystery as deep and beautiful as the city it's set in.

Any story with a premise set in Venice should make for an interesting read. That city has so much to offer in terms of rich history and culture. A perfect setting for a murder. The protagonist, Ana Lucia is a investigator with the American IRS with an Italian heritage. She has an affair with Count Sergio whom she later investigates for money laundering. He is murdered and the police suspect Ana of committing the crime as she is seen fleeing the scene of crime. With her friend Margo in tow, Ana embarks on a dangerous mission to uncover the murder in the process of which she is subjected to grave danger.

The setting and the summary sounds very enticing. With all that art and rich history, Venice offers a perfect backdrop for a passionate and intense story. The writer hasn't really capitalized on this fully. The romance angle or a rebound kind of a story line I expected for Ana was kind of lacking. However, the mystery and the crime by itself compensated well for the lack of this. The whole part of the story where the murder is investigated piece by piece is just perfect. It is a slowly peeled mystery with a bang of an ending to go with.

The narration and the characterization was just perfect. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more intense romance than what was there in the book. Venice tends to bring out that romantic side in you!

The cover got me. And then the first few pages. I just was drawn into Venice.I felt apart of the adventure with Anna that wasn't so much of an adventure actually.A quick trip and a few days of rest and visiting friends turns into much more when an ex-lover tries to blackmail Anna with photo's taken behind closed doors.But before the can meet and Anna can retrieve the photo's he is murdered. As Anna runs for the scene she is noticed by by-standers and the police begin to suspect her.Hence her little short trips turns into an all race against time to figure out what is going on.Anna realizes that nasty photo's isn't all he's into.As Anna tries to clear her name she realizes thateveryone seems to be hiding something. There is not a lack of suspects.I enjoyed the way the author wrote the story and described the Venice and the places that were a part of the story.I was on the edge of my seat and kind of wanting to be there.

Venetian Blood was a great adventure thriller that will keep the reader turning the pages and trying to figure out just who is the murderer.